Snyders misses breaststroke final place

SEMIFINALIST: Auckland swimmer Glenn Snyders in the semifinal of the Olympic 200m breaststroke.

Glenn Snyders has missed out on the Olympic 200m breaststroke final.

It was always going to be a tough ask for the 100m specialist, and for three-quarters of the race he was on course for another national record – what would have been his third in a week.

But Snyders couldn't keep going through the final 50m, hitting the wall seventh in 2:11.14 and finishing 14th overall.

The time is one of the best of his career, but six-tenths of a second down on the national record he set in the heats and three-tenths off his previous New Zealand record.

The game plan was simple, to attack from the start, and just try to hold on against the likes of Briton Michael Jamieson who qualified fastest for the final in 2:08.20.

Snyders was almost two seconds off slowest qualifier Brenton Rickard of Australia.

"The goal was just to go for it over the first 150m and I pretty much had nothing in the last 50m," Snyders said.

"A low 2:11 is about my third fastest time ever, so I'm happy with that. I seem to swim a lot slower at night, it's happened quite a few times."

Making two semifinals and two New Zealand records in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, Snyders said he's happy with his Olympic campaign so far.

"Yeah, I'm pleased. It's better than last time in Beijing. Even though it wasn't what I'd hoped for in the 100m and not making the final, I did a good time in the heats and the semifinal wasn't so flash.

"Two New Zealand records, two PB's, I couldn't really ask for more.

"The 200m is not my best event, it's a bit of fun really."

Snyders' Olympics is not over yet though, returning for the breaststroke leg of the men's 4x100m medley relay at 11.04pm on Friday night.

And, he says, the Kiwis are a good shot of making the final.

"I think we're a really good chance. We've got a really good relay team and if we can all step up we have a shot.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Elsewhere, New Zealand's 4x200m freestyle relay team of Matt Stanley, Steven Kent, Dylan Dunlop-Barrett and Andy McMillan have failed to qualify for the final, three seconds adrift of the national record in 7:17.18.

Stanley got the foursome off to a good start, third at the first changeover. But his team-mates couldn't hold the pace as they finished eighth.

The result ends the Olympic campaigns of Stanley, Dunlop-Barrett and Kent.